Storexcounter



(No Model.)

J. A. COOPER.

STORE' COUNTER.

,896. Patented Aug.' 10, 1886.

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JAMES A. COOPER, OF LlMA, OHIO.

STOEeCOUNTER.

SPECIFICATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 346,896, dated August10, lSEG,

Application filed November 23, 1885. Serial llo/188,610. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, .latins A. Coornmof the city of Lima, county ofAllen, and State or" Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Store-Counters, of which the following is aspecification.

rlhis invention relates to storecounters, and has special reference tothe class of counters used in grocery and commission stores, the ob- Ioject ofthe invention being, primarily, to provide a counter adapted toreceive, store, and display a large amount of goods or merchandise-suchas tea, coffee, spices, and other articles-to thereby utilizecounter-space and obviatc the necessity of having extra room forstorage,which is a matter of great desideratum, especially in largecities, where floor-space is scarce and very expensive.

rlhe principal object of my invention is to secure for stores themaximum amount of storage capacity with the minimum amount offloor-space, to so store the goods that they may be seen and sampled,and to provide a system which will permit the clerk or store-keeper towait upon a large number of customers in the shortest possible time.

Another object of my invention is to so ccnstruct the counter orcounters that the goods stored will be displayed to the customers infront of the counter, and will be accessible to the clerk behind thecounter, and may be served by him without leaving his position behindthe counter, thus saving much time in waiting upon customers, andenabling them at the 'same time to'see and select or sample the goodsthey desire to purchase.

My invention consists in a store-counter having a series of compartmentsor bins extending out a short distance in front of the top ofthecounter, each bin or compartment being provided with a movable glass orother cover, substantial] y as hereinafter described.

It also consists ina store-counter having a series of bins orcompartments separat-e from the main portion o1" the counter, and mademovable with relation to and in the direction of the width of thecounter, substantially as hereinafter described.

It also consists in certain details of construction of the said counter,substantially as heren inafter fully set iorth. i

Figure 1 of the drawings represents in perl,

spective, partially in vertical cross-section, a

counter as constructed in accordance with my invention, this figureshowing the counter as having partitions extending thc'cntire width andsupporting` the top. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation, partially in section,oi' a portion of the counter, showing the removable bin auditssupportingroller. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another form oi' bin,the said bin being shown partially in section 5 and Fig. iis a plan viewof the glass-holding 'frame which'covers the compartments.

The main portion of the counter may be ci' 6 5 various designs andconstructions, and will depend upon public demand. rlherefore I do notdesire to confine myself to the special construction shown in thedrawings of this application, in which I have illustrated one form ofcounter which is practicable and convenient, and which will now bedescribed.

The counter will consist, chieliy, of wood, and embodies the top A,(which top, as shown in the drawings, consists of the usual top board,the front and rear sills, a bottom, and the usual end sills,) thepartitions B, which support the top, the front panel-boards@ the movablecovers D, the bins Fgand the supporting-roller F. rlhe top A, which isof usual construction, is supported bythe partitions B, they extendingbeneath the top andvout a short distance in front of said top, the upperedge ofthe partitions in front of the top being beveled or inclined fromtheir forward end up to their junction with the counter-top.

The counter from end to end is provided with a series of thesepartitions B, which are more or less separated from one another, toleave a sufficient space to receive a bin, E, between adjacent sides,thus dividing vthe counterinto a number'of compartments. The front ofthe counter will preferably be constrncted in panels O, which panelswill be let into grooves in the faces of the partitions B, as shown inFig. l, thus allowing them to be removed at will. Covering the spacesbetween partitions are a number of frames or covers, D, which coverswill be constructed, preferably,in four pieces, as shown in Fig. 4- i.c., the two side pieces, d, and thetwo crosspieces di, the pieces dbeing projected at the IOO end nearest the top A a short distance beyondthe piece cli-a glass, b', being secured in the frame thus formed, whichglass will have painted upon it the name of the article and the numberor quality of the articles beneath it, or the articles contained in thebin E,whieh is in the space between the partitions which the coverorglass-holding frame covers. This glass-holding frame or cover will beof a width suicient to partially overlap the upper edge of twopartitions, and will in its normal position, or when covering the space,extend from the front of the counter to and under the top, where it isprojected a short distancebetween Athe top and bottom boards of the topof the counter, as shown in Fig. 1, it being held in place by means ofthe vertical pins c, secured in the upper face of the side pieces of theframe D, which pins bear against the front board of the counter when thecover or frame is drawn out, thus preventing its displacement. rlhecoverD is made movable with relation to the counter, its operation beingas follows: Vhcn it is desired to uncover the compartment to which itbelongs, the coveris raised to a horizontal position and slid backwardunderthe top of the counter or between its top and bottom boards.

I do not desire to limit myself to this exact construction, as there aremany waysin which the cover may be movably connected to the countcr-as,for instance, it might be hinged and be raised and lowered up and down.IIowever, the construction herein shown is preferable.

Each compartment between partitionsB has a bin, E, for the reception ofarticles-such as groceries, teas, coffees, &c.-the upper and front sidesof the bin corresponding to the internal shape of the main portion ofthecounter, the said bin being preferably constructed so as to form twoco1npartments-. c., the vertical compartment d", Vwhich will extend vfrom a point in close proximity to the oor to a point close to the underface of the cover D, and the horizontal oblong compartment d5, whichextends from a point near the bottom of the counter-top to a pointapproximately midway between the upper and lower ends of compartment d,and backward from compartment d1 to a point nearly iiush with the backof the counter-top, at which rear end it is supported by a roller, F,mounted in bearings in the partitions B, as shown in Fig. 2. Thesecompartments form an inverted- L- shaped bin, each compartment beingopen at the top and constructed with sides, ends, and bottoms, and areseparated from each other by a door, e', hinged to the back ofcompartment d4, Vas shown in Fig. 1. These bins E will preferably be ofa width sufiicient to fill the space between the partitions, and will bemounted upon casters et', as shown in Fig. 1, handles c3 being providedat the rear ends by which to roll them backward or forward, asdesired. j

I do not desire to limit myself to the exact construction of bin hereinshown, as, for instance, the bin' might be constructed in four pieces-i.e., two sides and two ends-thus formi-ug one compartment and filling theentire space between partitions; or they might be constructed, as shownin Fig. 3, with a projected bottom board for the. reception of articles,such as baskets, hardware, &c.

The bins B will be of any desired capacity, holding one or more barrelsof goods.

By this construction of counter the conveir ience will be readilyappreciated. A customer desiring to select a certain brand of goods cansee the kind of goods contained in the bins throughthe glass covers D,and by raising and sliding the covers back under the counter they cansample the goods contained in tlie bin; and, both compartments of thebin containing the same goods, it is simply necessary for the clerk todraw thebin backward on its rollers and serve the goods to the customerwithout leaving his position behind the counter. XVhen the supply of thecompartment dof the bin becomes exhausted, it may be replenished from lcompartment (1*, it simply being necessary to lower the door c, whichdivides the compartments, which give access to compartment d, Shouldboth bins become exhausted and it is not desirable to fill them at thecounter, the panel-boards may be' removed and the bins wheeled out fromunder the counter in front and into a store-room, where they may bcrefilled and returned to their places under the counter, thus obviatingthe accumulation of dirt in the main store-room,which would accrue fromrefilling the bins while in place under the counter.

By this construction of counter I am enabled to store many barrels ofgoods under a counter, and at the same time display the goods to mypatrons.

rIhe door e', which divides the compartments of the bin, will beprovided with a catch to hold it in place when closed or when in avertical position.

I claiml. A store-counter having a front projected a distance from themain top of the counter, said front being inclined, as described, andprovided with a series of glass-holding frames, which frames areprojected between the top and bottom boards of the counter-top, and areadapted to be raised and slid under said top, the ends of the framebeing provided with upwardly-projecting pins to bear against the frontboard of the counter-top to hold the frame or cover in place when drawnout, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a counter, the bins E, preferably l'- sha'ped, as shown, andhaving two compartments, d* d, separated by the door e', hinged IOO tothe end board of the compartment d4, preferably, the said bin beingmounted on casters or equivalents, and being adapted to be moved underthe counter, substantially as and for the purpose described. l

3. A store-counter consisting of the top A,

ISO

the partitions 13,'which support the top and which extend out a distancein front of the top, said partitions being more or less separated andbeing inclined at the top, the removable front panels, C, let into thepartitions, the movable cover D, provided with glass center b', whichcovers the space between partitions B, and the vloins E, located underthe counter, said bins being open at their top, eX- poscd to viewthrough the glass of covers D, and being mounted upon casters,wherebythey may be moved backward or forward with relation to the counter, forthe purpose and substantially as described.

4. In a counter having an inclined front pro jected beyond the face ofthe top, inclined as described, and provided witlrmovable glass covers,the said counter being divided up into compartments by the partitions B,the bins E, mounted upon the casters e2, and divided into compartmentsd* d5, and provided with the handie e, the bin at its rear end beingmounted upon the roller F, having its bearings in the partitions B, andbeing adapted to be moved backward and forward with relation to thecounter, all arranged and constructed substantially as shown anddescribed.

In witness whereof` I have hereunto set my hand and seal, atSpringfield, Ohio, this 19th day of August, A. D. 1885.

JAMES A. COOPER. [L. s]

ln presence of- Sn'rH S. WHEELER, W. E. HAeKEDorr.

